Transcript:

Dov: "The most success entrepreneurs find their pain and face their pain. Now, let me just explain what I mean by that is that if you look at the most successful people in the world, they were actually all driven by pain. Nelson Mandela, obviously not an entrepreneur, but just as the example, changed the face of apartheid in South Africa. Why? Because he was in the pain. The things that have been changed in lives have been changed because somebody looked at and said, "I can't bear this anymore.""

"If you want to be a really successful entrepreneur, you've got to look at you. You've got to look at your pain. What is it pisses you off? What is it upsets you? What is it that drives you crazy in the world? Because here is thing, you're not the only one. Some of those people, "Oh, I don't want to look at that. That's too ... Oh, I don't want to go there," but that's actually where the wealth is. That's actually where the wealth of resources are, that's where the wealth of people who will buy from you are. That's where the wealth of people who will rally around you are."

"It's facing your pain, embracing your pain, and realizing that it's the catalyst for your entrepreneurial endeavors. I remember seeing the interview with the guy who was this CEO of Uber and he said they just couldn't get a cab. It's that simple, and just pissed off for the fact that why can't I never get a cab. You're not the only one without pain. That's a pain on the surface level, and certain has worked very nicely, not undermining that whatsoever. But look deeper. What is your pain? You've got to be able to rally people around you. The way to do that is through pain."

"If you're going to be an extraordinarily successful entrepreneur, for me, the number one thing you have to do is look at yourself. The thing about looking at yourself is you'll never have objectivity. You can't be objective in a subjective reality. You can't, so you have to have somebody on the outside who can look in. Now, whether that's a therapist or a coach, those are different things. A mentor, which is what I do is another level again. A mentor is a coach. Therapist kick you in the ass individual, who as in all likelihood walk the path you're on and can show you where the landmines are."

"If you're going to be highly successful, you have to have a super high level of self-awareness. The most successful business people are actually super self-aware. The level of emotional intelligence is vital. Grasping that is so important so you've got to have mentors to guide you, coaches to guide you. You have to have an objective system. So many try to do it on their own and they fall down and they get up. That's good for them to get up, and they go again. You know what? If you keep running into the wall, maybe you'll want to stop and say, "Where is the freaking door?" A mentor can show you where the door is."

"My final tip here is to start giving or thinking that you're going to give people what it is they need. If you want to find out what to develop or how to make what it is you do better, then you've got to become a chief relationship officer. You've got to stop making up that you know the answer. It's nice, you have great ideas, good on you, let's pack you on the back. The bottom line is be a chief relationship officer. Get out there, develop relationships, ask people, get them to tell you not what ... Because people won't tell you what they need. They'll tell you what they want. Now, you might go away and you're a genius and go, "Oh, but what they really need is this." That's fine but if you try deliver what they need and they're asking you for what they want, you'll go bankrupt."

"You have to wrap what they need in what they want. Your pain point, the thing that blocks you, not you, me, all of us, is this desire to be right. Listen. The market is telling you, listen to what it is telling you. You go, "But I don't understand why this isn't a successful business, the best thing, it's sliced bread." Well, have you presented it to the market? Yes. Are they buying it? No. Then it's not the best thing, your sliced bread. It's the best thing in sliced bread in your head. Listen to them. I think that people forget that it is about the work. Entrepreneurship is not the easy path. Anybody who thinks it is, that's a huge mistake. Understand that it is not an easy path. It is a hard path, so it has to be purpose-driven. This is why I say come back to the pain."

Show notes:

About TGIM: TGIM is a podcast for people who can’t wait for the week to start. In each episode we’ll be bringing you inspirational stories about entrepreneurs who have overcome obstacles, built incredible businesses, and are now living the life they want.